A multi-actor spatio-temporal interaction model used to geosimulate the zoonosis propagation (WIP)

Several approaches and models have been proposed to simulate the spread of infectious diseases such as West Nile virus (WNV) or Lyme disease. However, these models such as mathematical models have some weaknesses when trying to simulate the influence of geographic features on the disease spread. In this context, we developed a new theoretical model called MASTIM to remedy some shortcomings of current methods. Our model is used to specify the spatio-temporal interactions of various kinds of actors (e.g. mosquitoes, ticks, birds, mammals, etc.) involved in the zoonosis propagation. We applied our model to the case of WNV and the case of Lyme disease in order to illustrate its genericity. Besides, we are currently using our model to develop Zoonosis-MAGS, a generic geosimulation tool for zoonoses. This tool aims at helping health policy makers to better understand the spread of zoonoses and the consequences of their interventions.